Retarded circuit breaker after reclosing



May @9 N5@ e. SGMNQLER @TAL 2956959744 RTRDED CIRCUIT BREKER AFTER RECLOSNG Filed Jan. 10, 1945 5 Sheds-Sheet i IN VEN TORS 2, UWA

May @s M50 c. SCHiNLEP-x ET As.. 29%@744 RETRDED CIRCUIT BREAKER AFTER RECLOSNG Filed Jan. lO 3,945 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N V EN TORS 67H Jaw/mu zm/ /Pa/,w

May 9, 1950 c. SCHINDLER ETAL 2,506,744

RETARDED CIRCUIT AFTER RECLOSING Filed Jan. 1o, 194s s sheets-sheet s INVLNTORS (kfz Jaw/m45? @y Umz/ ffm/m@ ti/...1. A77 swim May SS@ c. SQHINDLR ET AL, 29559697414 RETRDED CRCUIT BREKER AFTER RECLOSING Filed Jan. l0, 1.945 5 Sheets-Shea@ 4 May 9, 1950 c. scHlNDLER ETAL 2,506,744

RETRDED CIRCUIT BREAKER AFTER RECLOSING Filed Jan. 10, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR5 (ha .k//m/ozf By 01,41/ 6MM/m Patented May RETARDED CIRCUIT BREAKER AFTER AREcLoslNo.

Carl Schindler, Wauwatosa, and Olav Froland, Milwaukee, Wis., assignors to McGraw Electric Company, a corporation oi Delaware Application January 10, 1945, Serial No. 572,208

(Cl. 20o- 89) 2 Claims. l

This invention relates to an automatic circuit interrupter and to a distribution system.

It has been found that on distribution systems 85% to 90% of all faults occurring are due to temporary conditions which will be removed if the service is temporarly interrupted. Various types of reclosing circuit interrupters have been made and arranged to open the circuit and reclose it after a suitable interval of time following a fault or overload, and these circuit interrupters usually repeat a predetermined number of times and lock out thereafter. However, such devices are expensive and their cost is prohibitive for use on small branches of distribution systems where the loads are light such as. for instance, on rural distribution systems.

This invention is designed to provide a circuit interrupter which is so made that it has one quick circuit interrupting operation followed by a delay before quick reclosing, and which is so constructed that it locks in closed position so that if the fault remains, a fuse positioned in the branch on which the fault exists will blow and thus clear the line.

Further objects are to provide a circuit interrupter which is so made that it will have a quick opening stroke when a fault occurs and after a suitable interval of time will have a quick closing stroke and will thereafter automatically lock itself in closed position, the locking mechanism being so arranged that it has time delay action and will release and reset itself automatically in its initial position after a predetermined interval of time so that the circuit interrupter is again in its initial condition and capable of going through another cycle of operations.

Further objects are to provide a circuit interrupter which is oil immersed, which is mounted within a can and suspended wholly from the top of the can, and which is so arranged that it may be removed from the can for inspection or repair without disturbing any portion of the mechanism of the circuit interrupter and without disturbing the can, the can remainingmounted on the pole or any other suitable support, the construction allowing the can to be made without any openings except at the upper portion of the can so that there is no danger of loss of oil therefrom.

Further objects are to provide a circuit interrupter in which the contact assembly is spaced from the quick motion mechanism, the specific arrangement having the contact assembly located below the magnet coil and the quick motion assembly located above the magnet coil, the quick motion mechanism insuring a quick opening and a quick closing and the plunger of the magnet assembly being so arranged that at the instant the spring of the quick motion mechanism is passing dead center, the plunger strikes the switch operating member a severe blow to start the movable parts of the switch assembly at a very high speed, such speed being maintained and increased by the action of the quick motion mechanism.

Further objects are to provide a circuit interrupter which is of very simple construction and which has relatively few and easily produced parts and which may be cheaply manufactured.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the circuit interrupter.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 showing the circuit interrupter in closed position.

Figure 3 is a sectional View on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a view corresponding to Figure 2 showing the circuit interrupter in its temporary full open position.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional detail view 'showing the parts in the position which they occupy when the circuit interrupter is locked closed.

Figure 8 is a block diagram showing the manner in which the circuit interrupter is connected in the distribution system.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the circuit interruptor comprises a contact assembly indicated generally by the reference character l and comprising a pair of spaced stationary contact membersZ adapted to be engaged by movable contact members 3 carried by a conducting bridging member 4. The bridging member 4 is carried by means of an operating rod 5 which latter is formed of insulating material and is slidably guided through the central portion of the magnet winding 6. The stationary contacts -2 are mounted on an insulating base member 'I secured to the lower portion of the magnet assembly. The magnet assembly includes a movable magnetic plunger or armature 8 which surrounds the rod 5. The magnet plunger 8 is freely slidable with respect to the rod 5 and slides downwardly when the magnet coil 6 is energized from the position shown in Figuresl 2 and 5 to the position shown in Figure 6.

The stationary portion of the magnet assembly includes the energizing coil 6, the upper yoke 9, and the lower yoke I0, such yokes being formed of magnetic material and the upper yoke having downwardly extending portions I'I on opposite sides thereof, see Figure 6. If desireda small upwardly projecting extension 2 or 4the lower yoke l may be provided, such extension I2 being formed of magnetic material. v

The insulating switch operating rod is slotted as indicated at I3. see particularly Figures 2 and 5, and a transverse pin I4 carried by the upper c end of thel plunger 8 extends through the slot and freely slides therein.

The upper end of the insulating switch operating member or rod 5 is guided by means of an approximate straight line motion mechanismA which consists of a lever' l5 pivoted, at one end by means of a pivot I6 to the upper end of the rod 5 and at its other end by means of a pivot I1 to a link -I8, such link vbeing pivoted at a stationary pivot I9, see Figures 2 and 6. An intermediate point of the lever i5 is pivoted'as indicated by the reference character to a lever 2 I, the lever 2l being pivoted at a xed pivot indicated at 22. A lever 23 is arranged to be directly actuated by means oi the p1unger8 and is connected to the pin i4 by means of links 24, such links extending from the pivot 25 intermediate the endsof the lever 23 to the pin' l 4 carried by the plunger, as shown in Figure 6.

It is preferable to form each of the levers l5, 2l, 23, and 24 of a pair of members as shown in Figure 3, such members constituting together in each instance a single lever construction.

The lever composed of the members 2i is provided with a pair of pins 26 which are joined by means of tension springs 2l to the outwardly projecting ends of a pin 28 carried by the lever 23. It is preferable to slightly groove the pins 26 and 28 in order to retain the eyeleted ends of the springs 21 in accordance with the usual practice.

The mechanism hereinabove described constitutes a quick motion mechanism. The operation of this mechanism is as follows: Assuming that an overload occurs, the magnet winding 6 will be sulciently energized to draw the plunger or armature 8 downwardly. This downward motion of the plunger rocks the lever 23 from the posi?y tion shown in Figure 2 to the position shown in Figure 6 and consequently the line of pull of the springs 2l passes across the center of the pivot or, in other words, passes across dead center. However, at approximately the instant the spring is passing dead center, the pin 8d carried by the rapidly moving plunger strikes the bottom end of the slot i3 of the switch operating rod 5 and initiates the opening motion of the switch with a very quick stroke, the springs 2l completing the uniek opening stroke of the switch. The lever 23 Y, immediately starts to move towards its initial position as the line of pull of the springs di is above the pivot i9 of the lever 23. This con- .A tinues until the lever 23 has arrived at its initial position, as shown in Figure 2. However, near the end of the upward rocking motion of the lever 23, the line oi pull of the springs 2l passes across the center ci the pivot 22 and consequently rocks the lever 2i upwardly with a quick motion in turn rocking the lever i5 and raising the switch operating rod or member and thus clos= ing the switch with a quick motion. It is to be and is freely exhausted through the exhaust opening 30 past the downwardly seating check valve 3i, see Figure 6. However, on the up stroke the valve 3| seats and delays the upward stroke of the plunger as the oil has now to leak around the sides of the plunger past the upper yoke 3 and the clearance at this point is relatively small. The upward stroke of the plunger is, therefore,

, delayed and consequently there is a delay be.-

tween the opening of the switch and the closin'gj of the switch. However, when the switch does start to close as hereinabove described, it hasa very quick closing stroke due to the quick motion mechanism.

The circuit interruptor is mounted within a metal can 32 and all of the parts are supported from the top 33 of the can, the top being seated on a beaded upper edge 34 of the can and a suitable gasket 35 being interposed. Preferably the lower portion of the can -is lined with ber as indicated at 36. 'Ihe oil within the can extends upwardly to approximately the oil level indicated by the dotted line 31 in Figure 6.

Another action takes place on the downward stroke of the plunger 8. This action results in the placing of a locking mechanism in position to lock the switch closed when it has closed following a circuit interruption. The mechanism comprises a lever 3B having a cam actuated extension or arm 39 integral therewith. The lever 3B is bifurcated at its left-hand end, as viewed in Figures 2 and 6, and receives a pin lil carried by a small plunger il slidably mounted within a cylinder 42 formed integrally with the upper yoke 9 of the magnet structure, the cylinder having a slot lill' to accommodate the pin 40. The upward motion of the piston lll is free as the oil is admitted below the piston through the aperture 43 past an upwardly opening check valve lili. However, the downward motion of the piston di is delayed. Due to the weight of the piston the piston settles and the oil below the piston escapes slowly and the downward stroke of the piston di may be employed.

The outer or cam actuated end 39 of the lever 38 is rounded and lits within a cam slot de formed in the plunger 3. It is to be noted from comparison of Figures 2 and 6 that when the plunger is in its uppermost position, as shown in Figure 2, the lever 33 is in its lowermost position. However, when the plunger il is pulled downwardly due to energizaton of the magnet coil 6, the levez' 33 is rocked in a clockwise direction and freely 48 or the lever 38 as shown in Figure 2. On the downward stroke of the plunger 8, however, the lever 38 is rocked in a clockwise direction and the spring 50 moves the latchlng lever or member 48 into the position shown in Figure 6. When the plunger 8 rises, the flange 5| integral with such plunger rides along the right hand face of the latch or lever member 48 and rocks the lever member 48 against the action of the spring 50. However, when the plunger 8 has arrived at its uppermost position shown in Figure 7 following s. circuit interruption, the latch or lever 48 snaps beneath the flange or projecting lip 5| of the plunger 8 and thus locks the plunger against downward motion and consequently locks the switch in closed position.

This locking of the switch in closed position persists for a predetermined interval of time, depending on the length of time required for the descent of the piston 4i. This time may be any desired interval.- For instance a few minutes may be selected. During this time the switch remains in locked position after having been initially moved to open position as a result of a fault. After a predetermined interval of time, the piston 4i settles and thus restores the latch 48 to its initial position shown in Figure 6 and the circuit interrupter is in position to again go through the cycle of operations. It is to be noted that the settling of the plunger 4I is not opposed by the spring 50 as the spring 50 merely acts between the levers 38 and 48.

The manner in which the circuit interrupter is connected in the distribution system is shown in the block diagram of Figure 8. In this diagram, a main line 52 has been shown as provided with a circuit interrupter` 53 which may be of the type forming the subject matter of this invention and a fuse 53 is placed ahead of the circuit interrupter. If desired, the circuit interrupter 53 may be of any of the usual types of repeating circuit interrupters. A plurality of branch lines 54 lead outwardly from the main supply line 52 and the circuit interrupters forming the subject matter of this invention are installed as indicated at 55 in each of the branch lines 54. Between the circuit interrupters and the main line 52 fuses 56 are positioned. Some or all of the branch lines 54 may be provided with tap lines or sub-branch lines 51 and fuses 58 are interposed between the branch lines 54 and the tap or sub-branch lines 51. The fuses 58 may be of the same value as the fuses 56 but are preferably of a smallervalue. The circuit interrupters 55 are coordinated with the fuses 56 and 58 as to current values only but are much faster as to their time characteristics, being arranged to open in the minimum possible time, and are thus arranged to open the circuit prior to the blowing of the corresponding fuse 56 or 58. For example, if a fault occurs on one of the branch lines or sub-branch lines, the corresponding circuit interrupter 55 will suddenly open and after a suitable interval of time will close and will lock itself in closed position. If the fault was a temporary fault, which constitutes from 85 %to 90% of all of the faults as hereinbefore stated, nothing further will happen and the service to the consumer will, therefore, be restored. However, if the fault is a permanent fault, the fuse 56 or 58 will blow as the circuit interrupter remains in its locked position for a. predetermined interval of time as hereinbefore described. The blowing of the fuse 56 or 58 will thus isolate the branch line 54 or the sub-branch line 51. It is to be noted particularly that the fuses 58 may be of a smaller value than the fuses 56 if desired. In this instance a fault on a subbranch line 51, if of a permanent nature, would cause blowing of the fuse 58 of that particular sub-branch line and would not disturb any other portion of the system. The circuit interrupter 53 and the fuse 53 are coordinated as to current values but not as to time characteristics, the circuit interrupter 53 opening in the minimum possible time. The current value for the circuit interrupter 53 and the fuse 53 is necessarily larger than for the fuses 58 and the circuit interrupters 55.

It will be seen, therefore, that if a permanent fault occurs on one of the sub-branch lines a permanent interruption of the main line or any of the other branch lines is avoided, and that after a suitable interval of time the circuit interrupter 55 will restore service to the branch line 54 and the remaining sub-branch line 51 associated therewith.

It will be seen that this invention provides a very simple type of circuit interrupter which is adapted to be positioned on a branch line leading from a main supply line and which is coordinated with a fuse in the branch line so as to protect the fuse from a temporary fault, but which if the fault should turn out to be a permanent fault automatically locks itself in closed position and thus causes the fuse to blow and isolate the line. However, as stated above, in view of the large number of temporary faults it will be seen that this circuit interrupter saves the fuse from blowing in from to 90% of the faults.

If desired, the circuit interrupter may be provided with self-quenching spark gaps as indicated generally at 51 in Figure 1. The tank 32 may be mounted on a pole or other suitable support by means of a bracket 58, see Figure 1, formed as a unitary structure with the tank. The tank does not have to be disturbed when the circuit interrupter is removed therefrom. All that is necessary is to remove the bolts 58 which hold the cover in place and thereafter the cover may be lifted from the tank carrying with it all of the operative parts of the circuit interrupter. If desired, a suitable eyelet member 60 may be carried by the cover 33 to facilitate its removal.

It is to be noted that the switch means is located below the magnet assembly and is widely spaced from the quick motion mechanism, which latter is located above the magnet assembly. The switch assembly may be of very simple construction and the parts may be readily renewed as required. It is merely necessary to replace any burned stationary or movable contact members in a simple manner as is obvious from an inspection of Figure 5.

Ordinarily no manual means are provided with this circuit interrupter but it is obvious that manual means could be provided for operating the quick motion mechanism to cause the circuit interrupter to open when manually operated.

It will be seen that the circuit interrupter is of very simple construction and is easily and cheaply produced. One of the objects of the invention is accomplished due to this inexpensive construction as it enables such circuit interrupters to be positioned in the individual lines leading from the main distribution line with a minimum of expense.

Further as hereinabove stated, the device is Wholly automatic in its action and has a quick opening and quick closing stroke, a suitable delay 7 interval being interposed between the opening and the closing of the circuit interrupter and the latching mechanism being so arranged that it will also restore itself to its initial position after a predetermined interval of time.

It is to be noted that the device is self-contained and does not require the coaction of fuses or other electrical devices to obtain the time delay for rendering the latch means ineiective after a predetermined interval. Instead, mechanical time delay means are provided which act directly and mechanically on the latch means.

It will be seen further that a novel distribution system has been provided whereby the fuse in the individual line of a consumer, for instance, is protected for 85% to 90% .of the faults that occur on such line.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, it is to be understood that such description is intended as illustrative rather than limiting as the invention may be variously embodied and is to be interpreted as claimed.

We claim:

1. A circuit interrupter comprising an energizing coil, an armature controlled by said coil, switch means operated by said armature to open circuit positionY on the occurrence of an overload, means biasing said armature towards switch closed position, latch means for latching said switch means in circuit closed position, means biasingsaid latch means towards latching position, restraining means normally restraining said latch means against latching motion and releasing said latch means after said circuit interrupter has executed a circuit interrupting operation, and time delay mechanical means acting directly and mechanically on said latch means for rendering said latch means ineiective after a predetermined interval of time.

2. A circuit interrupter comprising an energizing coil, a plunger adapted to be drawn into said coil upon the occurrence of an overload, switch means mounted below said coil, a switch actuating rod operatively coupled to said plunger and extending through said armature and movable independently of said armature, quick motion mechanism mounted above said coil for operating said rod, means operatively connected to said plunger and said quick motion mechanism for operating said quick motion mechanism from said armature, lost motion means between said armature and said rod for initiating opening motion of said switch means, said quick motion mechanism completing the opening motion of said switch means, normally ineffective latch A means for locking said switch means in switch closed position after a circuit interrupting operation, means operated from said armature for rendering said latch means eective after a circuit opening operation of said circuit interrupter, and time delay means for restoring said latch means to its ineffective condition after a predetermined interval of time.

` CARL scHINDLER. oLAV FROLAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

Lincks et al Jan. 21, 1947 

